Dake has surgery on foot, will miss World Team Trials

Kyle Dake shown competing in the 2013 World Team Trials. Dake will miss out on the 2014 World Team Trials due to surgery on his foot.

Release from X-Cel Worldwide

April 22, 2014 - Ithaca, New York. U.S. National Wrestling Team member Kyle Dake will miss the upcoming World Team Trials in Madison, Wisconsin, due to the lingering effects of an injury he suffered in March.

He was initially injured while practicing with the Cornell University wrestling team as he prepared the team for March's NCAA wrestling championships.

Dake, who appeared on the ESPN broadcast of the NCAA event, suffered a torn Lisfranc Ligament in his left foot. He had surgery to repair those injuries on April 14th, in Ithaca, New York. The surgery involved, essentially, a ligament replacement to ensure that the arch of Dake's foot remained supported and in proper place, post-surgery. He also had two plates and a screw inserted in his foot to prevent the foot from dislocating and losing support in the arch of his foot.

Dake said: "Obviously, I'm extremely disappointed. After last year and all the training that I have done, I felt as good and confident as ever that I could make this year's world team and compete for a world championship; but it was just not meant to be. The good news is that the surgery went very well; I am told that I will make a full recovery; and I will be back stronger than ever. I thank everyone for their support."

Dake's agent, Nick Garone of X-Cel Worldwide, added: "He's crushed. When you train as hard as Kyle and for that long, all you want to do is compete, so it's been tough on him. However, Kyle is extremely smart and he knows and understands that taking care of this now will only help him achieve his goals later. He's not going to disappear -- I can assure you of that. And, he will make his presence felt when he returns."